For some time, the building industry has used prefabricated building panels of various compositions and methods of manufacture for the exterior and interior surfaces of buildings. One example of such panels includes those used in “curtain wall” construction of large, multi-story buildings. Typically, these types of panels are made of steel rebar reinforced concrete and are approximately 4 to 6 inches (10.16 cm to 15.24 cm) thick. This panel construction often results in panels that are quite heavy. Various methods for attachment of these panels to the steel superstructure of buildings have been developed, including welded tabs, clips, and similar devices, all of which must be capable of securely attaching these heavy panels without danger of attachment failure. Other considerations are also involved when using building panels on the exterior surfaces of buildings. For example, stucco exteriors are very popular but have many inherent problems including cracking, leaking, detachment from the building frame as well as being among the most labor intensive and therefore most expensive of building exterior surfaces.
Lighter weight panels have been developed for use in residential and light industrial buildings, such as “pebble board”, which consists of a plywood-type backing with an aggregate material adhered to the surface. Other lighter weight panels that are available include those made of foam substrates and may have cement, polymer, or other similar surface finishes. While these panels are often more lightweight than panels made of concrete and other heavy materials, they are also typically less strong and less resistant to the environment than the panels used for exterior applications. For example, these products can suffer from rotting, water damage and other forms of deterioration, as well as undesirable flexibility under wind loading conditions. To date, a lightweight, rigid, impact-resistant reinforced building panel with a vast array of available textures and colors and an efficient attachment system for said panel has been unavailable to the building trades. As an example of a specific need in the industry, it is desirable to provide a stucco exterior for a building without any of the inherent problems associated with conventional stucco finishes.